Method of producing laths



2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. H. CARRIER.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921- METHOD OF PRODUCING LATHS.

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APPLICATION FILED DE C.4, I918- RENEWED AUG- 8, I921.

A. H. CARRIER. METHOD OF PRODUCING 'LATHS.

APPLICATIONYFILED DEC.4| I918. RENEWED AUG. 8,132!- 1,394,273.

Patented Oct, 18,1921.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT H. CARRIER, OF ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO EDWIN W. GROVE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI;

METHOD OF PRODUCING LATHS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Application filed December 4, 1918, Serial No. 265,275. Renewed August 8, 1921. Serial No. 490,726!

To all w/zom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. CARRIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Asheville, in the county of Buncombe and State of North Carolina. have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Producing Laths, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method for producing a lath, key base or bond for a plaster or cementitious surface used in the formation of walls and ceilings. The improved method contemplates the use of material ordinarily unused or unfit for lumber purposes, such as palmetto, palm or other analogous growths, which is composed of fibers and pith and in its natural state is unreliable and impractical for general uses and especially building purposes until it is treated in a manner for instance similar to the method which will be hereinafter described. The improved method contemplates the surface treatment of the palmetto, palm and other analogous growths, to partially remove the pith between the fibers, form key recesses at regular intervals and sever comparatively thin strips from the log in accordance with a predetermined arrangement, and also consists in the provision of a product wherein keying recesses extend only partially through the thickness of the same and have grooves or elongated recesses formed therein at the points where the pith is partially removed to provide additional plaster or cement key means,this product being adapted to be secured against wall and ceiling supporting structure devices and to receive and hold the plaster or cement, and reliably holding the plaster preventing it from extending through to the rear of the laths produced by the improved method. The improved lath has considerable width andmay be readily applied to wall and ceiling supporting structures by unskilled laborers'or other persons, thereby saving time in and materially reducing the cost of erection of buildin s.

For demonstrating one means whereby the method may be practically efi'ected and also to illustrate the product which results from the method, the accompanying drawings show suflicient mechanism to explain the method, but it will beun'derstood that the method is not in the least limited to any precise mechanism and may be practised by the use of various types of machines.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing a palmetto or analogous log and devicesco operating'therewith to assist in carrying out the method and forming the resultant product.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts as shown by Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing means for reciprocating the brush along thelength of the log.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of the prod uct resulting from the method.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a back roll suitably mounted and driven and having the requisite diameter, said back roll being provided with a projecting knife or severing means 6 for cutting the laths into regular widths, and cutting punches 7, preferably of the form shown, also projecting outwardly from the periph ery thereof atregular intervals. The cutting punches will be constructed to readily enter the material operated upon partially through the thickness thereof and re move small portions of the material by'cutting the fiber at intervals to produce indentations. At a point diametrically o it the position of the back roll 5, a fixed slicing or strip-forming knife 8 is mounted on a suitable support 9 and will be rendered adjustable by any suitable means, such as set bolts or analogous devices. The cutting edge 10 of the knife 8 is projected upwardly and inwardly at an angle as shown by Fig. 1, and the object of the same is to slice or form strips from the material operated upon or treated by the improved method. In a suitable position above the back roll 5 and the knife 8 a suitable wire brush roll 11 of suitable dimensions is mounted to rotate and have a reciprocating movement as shown by Fig. 3, said brush roll being of any suitable form but illustrated as having a concave surface 12, and in the present instance is shown sup ported by a shaft 13 in suitable arms 14 and whereby a longitudinal brushing movement may be imparted to the material. The mounting and general construction of this brush are capable of a wide range of modification, it being only necessary to use a brush roll or a brushing means located as shown, or otherwise, to partially remove the pith from the material.

As hereinbefore indicated, the material upon which the method is practised preferably consists of palmetto, palm or other like growths, and is introduced as a log 15 of suitable length. The log is turned in timed relation to the back roll 5 against the fixed knife 8 which is set at such an inward angle as to regularly slice the roll circumferentially to produce a veneer or thin strip, the thickness of which will depend upon the position of the knife. The brush roll 11, as shown in one location, is also in such relation to the log that it will continually bear upon the surface thereof at the top portion, and as the log diminishes in diameter the back roll 5 will be so mounted as to follow up and maintain the same cutting and puncturing relation to the log at all times, and in like manner the brush roll 11 will gravitate and be in continual engagement with the surface of the upper portion of the log, or, with the surface of the lath formed from the log. As the log 15 is rotated, the cutting punches 7 will form recesses 16 therein which extend only partially through the predetermined thickness of the strip of veneer that is formed as indicated by full and dotted lines in Fig. l, and at a proper interval the knife 6 of the back roll will come around and engage the log and cut the latter into predetermined widths, thereby regularly producing strips having a uniform width. The brush roll 11 will rotate and reciprocate in relation to the portion of the surface of the log engaged thereby and loosen and remove the pith between the fibers of the palmetto, thereby leaving the lath, key base or bond strip produced free of that natural portion thereof which would be a detriment to the formation of a practical lath or key base, and at the same time this step of the method results in exposure of the fiber and liberation of'a part of the fiber extremities which will serve as effective means for holding the plaster or cementitious material on the lath or key base. the recesses formed at inteiwals throughout the treated surface acting as additional. means for keying the cementitious material to the lath or key base. The log 15 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown by Fig. 1 and.

duction of the lath, key base or bond, it will be understood that the method may be carried out in connection with other wood of a similar character to which the steps of the method may be adapted in the formation of the product sought. Where the recesses are made in the lath, the fiber and pith are partially removed, and after the lath is brushed to a desired depth to remove a portion of the pith, the surface of the lath is left in a woven fibrous condition. The pith will not run in regular straight lines, but be at points in irregular relation, and the pith removed in part therefrom will form correspondingly positioned grooves.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a natural product may be practically utilized in building construction and for other purposes and which has heretofore been valuel'ess in view of the soft and unreliable character of the grain and general natural texture of the material treated.

A very material advantage in the use of the improved lath product is the saving of material in plastering, the laths when applied serving to replace the usual first plaster coating and thereby eliminating one coat in three coats used in ordinary plastering methods and a consequent reduction in cost of forming wall and ceiling constructions.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing a lath, consisting in cutting strips of predetermined width and length directly from a log of wood of fibrous and pithy nature, and forming key recesses in the surface of the lath by brushing said surface in the direction of the fiber to partially remove the pith therefrom to expose and liberate portions of the fiber.

2. A method of producing laths,,consisting in cutting strips of predetermined width and length from a log of wood of a fibrous and pithy nature, brushing the surfaces of the strips lengthwise in the direction of the fiber thereof to partially remove the pith to expose and liberate extremities of the fiber. and forming slight recesses in the surface of the strips that are brushed to produce with the liberated fibers key means for holding plaster on the strips when applied to serve as laths.

3. A wood lath consisting of a flat strip of fibrous and pithy material having a portion of the pith removed from'the surface thereof and the fiber exposed and partially loosened whereby keys are formed for holding cementitious material on the lath.-

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT H. CARRIER.

Witnesses:

W. E. VARNUM, E. J. RANDOLPH. g 

